RA! proposes a mixed-use program for Laiva Plaza, with a ground floor and two floors of guest rooms. The building is set back to create a public atrium that serves as a transitional space between the exterior and interior, while also providing shade and promoting ventilation. The entrance, an open threshold, articulates and incorporates the urban flow into this hotel, conceived as an extension of the street.
Inside, the building is organized around a central vertical courtyard that acts as a climate and spatial regulator, organizing circulation and introducing natural light and cross-ventilation. The rhythmically repeated elements are reminiscent of the typical flags found on the streets of San José, solidifying an architecture rooted in the urban and cultural context, thanks also to the use of color and handcrafted stucco.
Laiva Plaza by RA!. Photograph by Oscar Hernández.
Project description by RA!
Laiva Plaza is a boutique hotel located in the historic center of San José del Cabo. Designed by RA! and promoted by Grupo Laiva, the project is conceived as an urban piece integrated into the pedestrian fabric of the city, contributing public space while offering an intimate hospitality experience closely connected to its immediate surroundings.
The building is organized with mixed-use spaces on the ground floor, two levels of guest rooms, and a roofgarden with amenities oriented toward views of the urban context. Its layout responds to the walkable and public nature of the historic center, as well as to the use of color as an expression of cultural identity. Set back from the street, the building frees a public atrium that creates a sequence of shade, ventilation, and transition between the exterior and the interior.
The entrance is conceived as an open threshold, where a shaded passage mediates the relationship between public space and the interior. Rather than functioning as an isolated object, the project operates as an extension of the street, incorporating urban flow into its spatial organization.
Internally, the building is structured around a vertical central courtyard that organizes circulation, introduces natural light, and promotes cross ventilation. This void acts as both a climatic and spatial regulator, creating an atmosphere of calm and controlled luminosity. Staircases visually engage with the courtyard through circular openings, reinforcing continuity between interior and exterior.
Formally, Laiva is defined by a system of interwoven walls that generate connected patios and terraces. The volume steps back progressively to respect the scale of the historic center, while the rhythmic repetition of its elements reminds us of the cut paper flags, found throughout the streets of San José. The use of color and handcrafted stucco introduces a sensitive, timeless materiality, consolidating an architecture of hospitality deeply rooted in its urban and cultural context.
